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Unfortunately, Trump cannot undo Biden’s executive order.
Section 12(a) of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), a law established in 1953, states, “the President of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the Outer Continental Shelf.”
Trump needs Congress to change the law. That could happen since the GOP controls the House and Senate.
No one can receive a lease to drill for oil, gas, or other minerals in those areas.
OCSLA lacks language that allows a future president to undo an executive order under Section 12(a).
Former President Barack Obama issued a similar executive order on December 20, 2016.
In April 2017, Trump signed an executive order to undo Obama’s order.
Activist groups challenged Trump’s order.
In 2019, US District Court Judge Sharon Gleason, based in Alaska, overturned Trump’s executive order, leaving in place Obama’s protection of the Arctic’s Chukchi Sea and the East Coast of America.
